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Friend Rick Sheehan, who organises karaoke events in Derby, said: “Phil was a regular at my karaoke shows and attracted much interest with his bizarre, off-key and out of time singing and hilarious dance routines.

“He featured on the Andy Miller show a few times on Ram FM and, believing that he was a celebrity and living the dream, he entered the X Factor.

“He was a humble and inoffensive man who lived for his regular karaoke appearances. He would be waiting hours before I had even arrived at the venue.

“He was probably the most well-known man on the circuit and maybe the best loved. He will always be remembered fondly by all who saw him perform.”

Mr Sheehan helped transform Mr Du Cane into a local star through his karaoke shows.

He added: “When Phil first performed people didn’t seem to like him because of his inability to sing and his lack of stage presence.

“But I decided to change that by giving him a big build-up before he came on the stage and I got the audience to join in the hype.